It Was Here A Minute Ago
by Tarma Hartley
Summary: An early Halloween gift fic for DezoPenguin. Tahlea Grande wants to make something special for Dr. Chartreuse's upcoming birthday and tries to think of something that won't explode. Will she be able to do it or will another explosion be the result?


_A/N: This fic is dedicated, with much love, to my beloved husband, DezoPenguin. Happy really early Halloween, honey! :) Tahlea Grande as budding mad scientist is the creation of DezoPenguin so I'm sure that he won't mind if I borrow her for awhile. :D_

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_Tahlea is trying to make the perfect gift for Dr. Chartruese for his birthday. Will she manage to make something that won't explode this time?_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Happy early Halloween, sweetheart! :) Hope you enjoy the fic! :)

The clock explosion is inspired by an episode of _Sakura Wars, Dramatic Picture Card Show May You Be Eternal, Red Lad _where Kohran makes a mechanical bird to summon the rest of the team. It then flies off and explodes after delivering the message. It's one of my favourite episodes!_  
_

Thanks to deathcurse for beta reading this for me! Much appreciated! :)

Hope you enjoy this sequel to _Isn't That Usually Done In The Kitchen? _Comments and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated._  
_

_Rated K, Tahlea Grande, GrimgriMoire, Humour_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Tahlea Grande sat on the wooden bench in the hallway outside of Dr. Chartreuse's lab, her hands in her lap, her sandaled foot tapping a staccato rhythm on the stone floor. She knew that she was in trouble after that last lab explosion and, while she understood [I]_why_ [/I]she was banned from entering there for awhile-at least until the lab was put back together-and that she was to blame, she still felt a little put out about it.

Her mouth twisted sourly as she watched various people come and go in and out of the lab; while most greeted her, there were those, particularly those who had been present at the last lab explosion, who took one look at her and quickly walked past without a backward glance.

_That_ hurt. Tahlea's mouth turned down, her lip quivering as she watched them pass by without even a single word of acknowledgement or even a nod or slight inclination of the head to let her know that they saw her. This pointed ignoring had _really_ stung.

I_ know that I made a mistake_, she thought, wiping a tear from her eye as the twentieth person who walked by whom she knew wouldn't even make eye contact with her, _and I know that Creator is angry with me for destroying the lab but... why do they pretend that I'm not even here?_

Even the chimeras had taken to avoiding her! Hibi thought that this was really funny and commented, "T_his is the first time I've_ ever h_eard of a chimera being afraid of _anyone! _I'm impressed!_" Somehow, the way she said it made Tahlea think that she was just being sarcastic.

She crossed her arms over her chest, taking a deep breath. There really wasn't anything she could do about the shunning at the moment so she would simply have to make the best of it. She wished that she could do something that could prove to both Creator and the others that she wasn't a hopeless mess when it came to making things.

_What could I make? _She boxed her fist underneath her chin, thinking hard. There had to be something she could do that wouldn't blow up but, at the present, she didn't have any ideas.

She sat there for some time in silence until she overheard a conversation going between two people who worked at the lab.

_"Dr. Chartreuese's birthday is coming up soon. Have any idea what to get him?"_

_"Not at the moment, no."_

_"Do you know what he likes?"_

_"I think someone mentioned that he likes antique clocks or something like that."_

_"Yes, it was one of his apprentices that is training under him. He also said that he likes books and was thinking of getting him one as a gift..."_

_"That will be interesting. Dr. Chartreuse's library is one of the best in the Kingdom and I'm pretty sure that he has more books than he knows what to do with."_

_"True. I wonder if he'll be able to find a book that he doesn't have..."_

They walked on, continuing their conversation as they did so but Tahlea wasn't listening. She'd latched on to this phrase-"_I think someone mentioned that he liked antique_ _clocks_"-and she had an idea of what she could do: she could make Creator a clock! Surely, that could be something she could do without it blowing up on her!

_I can show him that I can do something constructive_, she thought excitedly as she jumped and and ran down the hall, a_nd give him a gift at the same time for his birthday!_

Her heart felt light for the first time since the lab accident and she felt like singing as she made her way to the workshop.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Tahlea tinkered with the inner spring, humming a happy tune as she did so. The clock was coming along beautifully and she surveyed her work proudly.

She'd asked the head clockmaker for his advice on how to build a clock and he was more than happy to give her the benefit of his many years of experience. He seemed positively pleased that she had asked him for his input and she was happy that he was willing to help her when others, who were present at the last lab disaster, were not.

A couple of hours later, her gift was complete. She sat back, admiring her handiwork: a burnished gold clock with Roman numerals on its snow-white clock face, elaborately scrolled vines and ivy on the sides of the clock, inlaid with an emerald stone fixed at the bottom of the clock face and a small, golden bird gracing the top.

All in all she was very pleased with her creation and, she fervently hoped, Creator would like it, too. She went hunting for a box to put it in and, when she came back into the room a few minutes later, she was surprised to discover that the clock was gone.

_Strange..._ She put the box down on the workbench with a puzzled expression spreading over her face._ It_ was _here a minute ago... Who could have taken it? And why?_

A thought then came to her. What if it was more that the clock itself had flown off and not someone taking it? She chewed on her lower lip thoughtfully as she considered this possibility but then firmly dismissed it from her mind.

After all, clocks didn't just get up and fly away without human hands providing the locomotion. Besides, this clock was rather heavy, being made of sturdy materials, and the bird on top was just too small for it to have the ability to take flight.

_That was a dirty trick, taking the clock that I made for Creator. I need to find out who took it and get it back._

Determined to solve the mystery, she walked out of the workshop and headed down the hall, turning right at the far corner and making her way to the cafeteria.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Dr. Chartreuse's Office_

Dr. Chartreuse was busy. Along with his various duties at the Silver Star Tower and training novice alchemists, he had a full roster on his plate and was just finishing the report he had to submit to Her Majesty about the status of the '_little situation_' they had privately discussed.

He laid down the quill pen and sighed, leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes. He was weary today and the weather was very warm; it was the kind of day that would be perfect to spend outdoors. He wished that he could spend some time outside in order to take a much needed break to enjoy the sunshine but, as he was fond of saying, '_time and duty wait for no man_'- _or beast_, he added wryly-and, as much as he wanted to, it was imperative that he finish the report today.

He turned to face the window, the gentle, warm breeze drifting over his furry face and he closed his eyes, enjoying Nature's caress with a smile. He'd opened the window since the sun was shining brightly and he was glad, in retrospect, that he had done so this morning; while the room was a bit warm, it wasn't stifling which was definitely a boon for someone who had head to toe fur.

_It's going to be a beautiful day out today; if I finish early, perhaps this would be the perfect time to take a walk with Tahlea down to the lake. She would certainly enjoy that..._

He was lost in very pleasant thoughts of past vacations when a melodious chirp, followed by a whirring, metallic click, interrupted his reverie. He opened his eyes to see, with some surprise, a clock with a bird on top sitting on the left hand corner of his desk.

It was very beautifully made and had obviously been made to please the one to whom it was for. He wondered where this could have come from and then looked at the tag attached to it that read: H_appy Birthday, Creator! Love, Tahlea. Hope you enjoy the clock I made!_

He was touched by her consideration. How had she known that he liked antique clocks?

_I must remember to thank her later, _he thought, smiling softly as he looked at her precious gift in pleasure and admiration, running his paw over the smooth metal tenderly, _and let her back into the lab. Anyone can have an accident, after all, and she's-_

That was as far as he got into the thought before the bird dipped and chirped once. While he stared in fascinated surprise, it shuddered, twirled madly about on its base and then, after a few breaths, it exploded with a loud, protesting squeal of metal, and a thick cloud of pitch black smoke filled his office...

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Tahlea was sitting outside the cafeteria, her arms crossed over her chest, an unhappy look on her face. To her direct questioning about the disappearance of her handmade clock, all of the people waiting on benches to get inside to eat had said the same thing: _we don't know what you're talking about._

_Then where did it go? I only left the room for a few minutes; it_ couldn't_ have flown off!_

Every one of them had denied taking it or even knowing anything about it and Tahlea had no reason to doubt them. Given the circumstances, she had no idea of where to search next or even what her next step should be.

One of the lab janitors that she knew had arrived and, sitting own beside her, began talking with her. It made her feel better about the missing clock although she couldn't help but wonder where it had gotten to. If someone _hadn't_ taken it, _how_ had it disappeared?

"Long line today, it seems," the janitor said, breaking into her train of thought, crossing his arms and sighing.

Tahlea nodded. "So it seems," she replied. "I wonder why its so busy."

The janitor shrugged. "I have no idea but it might be that there is some work going on that brings in extra people and they need to be fed, too. It might explain why its jumping in there today."

Tahlea considered this and nodded, slowly. "That makes sense."

They chatted amiably for a few minutes more before a wall of people came to the hallway, lining up by the benches; some sat down while others stood. Tahlea noticed that this group was mostly made up of people from the lab and wondered why they had all come here at once. It seemed rather odd.

"So, Tahlea," the janitor went on, bringing her back one more from her wandering thoughts, "what have you been up to?"

She brightened. "The master clock maker showed me how to make a clock," she said excitedly, "so I made one as a birthday gift for Creator!"

His eyebrow raised; she noticed that he had gotten very quiet all of a sudden. Even the people who surrounded them had also gone silent, their eyes beginning to widen.

Tahlea frowned. _Was it something I said?_

"You... _made_ one...?" the janitor asked, his eyes widening and she noticed the same reaction happening in the people around her that were close enough to hear. "You... _made_ one?"

She nodded. "That's why I came here to find out where it went. Someone must have taken it since it went missing and-"

She was very confused, and a little hurt, when, with a loud squawk, everyone in the general vicinity dove underneath the benches, quivering with unmistakable fear.

_Now what on earth was that all about?!_

She didn't have long to wonder as the sound of an explosion somewhere near the cafeteria ripped through the hallway, the force of it knocking her off the bench and she tumbled, stunned, to the floor.

She lay there for a few moments before she slowly sat up, wincing as she rubbed the painful lump on the back of her head. _Ow..._She looked around in puzzled amazement, coughing as thick, black smoke poured in. _What... just happened?_

She was still trying to figure out what had occurred when Dr. Chartreuse himself appeared in the doorway, pale and shaking, leaning on the door jamb for support. He was _quite_ a sight and she couldn't help staring at him when she looked in his direction: his fur was pushed back from his head, the tips of his mane blackened and curled, marks of black soot peppering his face and clothing, his whiskers singed and smoking. What struck her the most was that curious expression on his face as his eyes flickered over to light on her.

Tahlea looked confused as Creator raised his paw, and beckoned her to come over to him. She rose unsteadily to her feet, a look of trepidation crossing her face as she slowly walked over to him, dragging her feet.

"Tahlea," he said, his voice loud enough to carry in the silent room, "I'd like to have a word with you..."


End file.
